Monday, January 30, 2012

If you live in coastal regions of the American Southeast, you might be familiar with the fish- and crab-eating fish crow, which has a significantly different call than its cousin, and the crow most Americans are familiar with—the American crow.

A day after President Obama sang a bit of Al Green's classic "Let's Stay Together" from the podium at a January 19th fundraising event in Harlem, videos of the crooner-in-chief went viral on YouTube, racking up millions of views. But it wasn't just Obama's version of the song that the web's music fans sought out: according to Nielsen (via Billboard), digital download sales for Green's version of the song jumped up 490% in the period ending on January 22nd.

With 16,000 downloads, the song had its most successful online sales week since Nielsen began keeping track of web transactions in 2003. It's good news for Green's wallet, just as the President's cover was music to his ears.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

This is "Fox News psychiatrist" Kieth Ablow trying to convince the self-described "pro-family" people who watch Fox News that, if they squint real hard, twice-divorced admitted adulterer Newt Gingrich looks exactly like a mix between George Washington and Jesus. So start squinting:

I want to be coldly analytical, not moralize, here. I want to tell you what Mr. Gingrich’s behavior could mean for the country, not for the future of his current marriage. So, here’s what one interested in making America stronger can reasonably conclude—psychologically—from Mr. Gingrich’s behavior during his three marriages:

1) Three women have met Mr. Gingrich and been so moved by his emotional energy and intellect that they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with him.

2) Two of these women felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married.

3 ) One of them felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married for the second time, was not exactly her equal in the looks department and had a wife (Marianne) who wanted to make his life without her as painful as possible.

Conclusion: When three women want to sign on for life with a man who is now running for president, I worry more about whether we’ll be clamoring for a third Gingrich term, not whether we’ll want to let him go after one.

Sometimes you've just got to call it as it clearly is: Kieth Ablow obviously wants to have the hairy with Newt Gingrich. He should just go do that. And leave the rest of us out of it.

And this: "Three women have met Mr. Gingrich and been so moved by his emotional energy and intellect that they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with him." Wow! It's the "Charles Manson was also awesome!" ploy! Did not expect that!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Are we simply hosts for a very, very sneaky bacteria going through an eon-dodgingly successful series of life stages? As meaningful as a virus-infected cricket that will be left to drown in a bird dish as the virus carries on to another cricket that comes for a drink?

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

In honor of this heroic stand by the 80-year-old hip-hopper, I, as an old folksinger, will no longer refer to traveling, or the living of a kind of restless, untethered life on the road, as "ramblin'." It's just been long enough, you know? I always felt so dirty when I said it.

TELEVISION, USA – The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC released a new television commercial today in South Carolina, in advance of the upcoming underfunded GOP Primary. The ad, entitled "Not Abel," shows support for Stephen Colbert's possible candidacy by offering voters a way to show support for Stephen Colbert's possible candidacy.

Oh man. Oh man. The ad:

The "Plus: the economy" graphics - oh man. Every millisecond of this ad - right up to the very, very end - is funnier than anything that ever happened anywhere. Ever. Good god. We are a lucky country right now.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

I'm reading the abstract of an in-depth study of the ability of two snake species to take part in what is known as cloacal-popping - that is, snake farting - to ward of predators.
Did I mention I'm pretty happy with my job?